Jumpy

We added a new family member to the family. I say new family member because Hudson always remembers him in family prayer, so it's got to count as a family member, right? We got a red-eyed tree frog, and when I say we -- I really mean Logan and Hudson went out to get him at a Repticon event. I would have much prefered a dog (especially now that all our friends here are getting dogs, I kind of feel the itch to get one too -- but Logan keeps putting me back to reality and he's probably right. A dog right now would be more havoc than fun).

A frog we can do. The great thing is the boys do all the work and there is little work involved in caring for a frog besides feeding and cleaning out the habitat. Easy peasy. As you can see from the pictures/videos below, it has been frog heaven for a particular little boy.

Arizona trip

I took a trip (without the kids or hubby) to Arizona. This was my girls' trip for the year (last year was Williamsburg). I think one girls' trip a year is so necessary, and I plan on making that happen for years to come.

This view leaving Chicago (layover) was such a beautiful sight!

I went out to Arizona to help my mother-in-law with Heidi's baby shower (her first baby is due in May). Logan and I are thrilled we finally get to be Uncle Logan/Aunt Abby! That's the thing about being the oldest in our families; you have to wait for everyone else to catch up. ;)

It was so fun to spend a few days with Heidi. We went on a hike, out to lunch, got Bahama Bucks (yummy shaved ice), made homemade bread, went to the temple, and spent lots of time catching up. I just love that girl. I have no doubt she will be a great mother. She has mothered so many kids throughout the years, including my own. I loved getting to see all her preparations for her first baby. She's such a go-getter!

Orange creamsicle from Bahama Bucks

The weather was perfect the whole time I was there. It was wonderful!

We opened up Heidi's breadmaker for the first time and made this. 

I didn't think it would take 4 hours to make, but oh man it was worth the wait! 

Mesa, AZ temple

Delilas came in a few days later and we ran around trying to get everything set up for the shower. The baby shower was so fun and cute. We did a book theme. We asked each person to bring a book (as a gift) to add to the baby's library. There was a lot of people there to celebrate Heidi and the baby. It was nice to meet her new friends and see old friends/family too.

I also got to spend a day with my Aunt Martha and her kids. We had a cute Valentine's Day dinner at this little French cafe and then explored Historic Scottsdale. It was so good to see family while I was there, even though it was very short lived.

Such a cute cafe!

I also got to try macarons for the first time! So yummy!

This trip was so much fun AND warm (low 70s the whole time)! I was welcomed home to an ice storm in Charlotte, but my heart warmed right up getting to be with my babies and hubby again!

Let's talk about Hud

This little boy turned 3 1/2 years old the end of January. Yep, we celebrate half birthdays here. Nothing too fancy, but we went to get an ice cream treat at Mr. K's in SouthEnd.

I just want to take a minute to talk about this not-so-little boy of mine. Here's three things:

1. His imagination blows my mind. Seriously. Maybe that is all 3 year olds, but I seriously love seeing him come up with things or hearing the next sentence come out of his mouth. As of late, he talks for his dinosaurs and it's the funniest thing to listen to/watch. Yes, he is STILL obsessed with dinosaurs.

2. He loves arts and crafts. He will spend a good amount of time coloring, painting, or using his scissors to cut paper. It's a really great "quiet time" activity for him (and me). The dining table is usually covered in papers and his drawings. This normally would make me uneasy, but I've learned to embrace a messy dining room table. I have a hard time throwing away what he makes, so we keep it all in a little folder for now. I love looking through it. His favorite thing to draw are dinosaurs and animals, of course. :)

3. He loves to say prayer. Like he gets upset if he can't say it and will start saying his own prayer while someone else is saying it. I love hearing his little voice and how grateful he is for what he has. It's the cutest thing ever. I need to record it one day.

So, that's a little about Hudson for today. I'll leave you with some pictures/videos of the last couple weeks with some commentary.

Stopped to talk to a ant on our walk home 

Dinosaur digging kit from Ma & Pa

He spent the whole morning being a "real" paleontologist. 

Helping sissy get down the stairs

They have been holding hands a lot lately and I love it!

Video: Hudson re-tells the story of Samuel the Lamanite (from Book of Mormon)

Video: Hudson exercising 

Video: Hudson reading to Pa

This video cracks me up. My dad is speaking in Lao. He's telling my mom to come sit down and listen to Hudson teach about lions. My favorite line? "Can you be quiet, PLEASE?!!" 

Charleston/Folly Beach

Logan had a long weekend off from work (MLK weekend). We decided a week before that we should take a fun trip with the kids. We ended up heading down to Charleston/Folly Beach which is 3 hours away. It was so fun! We felt like real grown-ups because we got a hotel room for the night with the kids. It was the first time we had ever done a family trip (besides camping).

We love family trips that involve extended family too, but there's just something about going with just our family. It's pretty special and memory building. I hope this is something we can do many times throughout the years. We love the Charleston/Folly Beach area. Logan and I went once before while interning in South Carolina a few summers ago. This time around, we took the kids and showed them around.

Details of the trip: We didn't do any of the museums. We figured the kids would do better outside running around than inside. Plus, the weather was perfect -- mid-60's and sunny! We ended up walking around to see some popular sites, and then happened upon a little neighborhood park for the kids to play at.

We got lunch at Folly Beach. We were looking forward to some delicious fish tacos, but the restaurant we love was closed for renovations. We ended up going to Rita's for a quick (overpriced) lunch of burgers and fries. It was decent, and they served the kid entrees on a frisbee which was a nice touch. After lunch, we headed across the street to the beach/pier. It was a bit windy at this point being so close to the water, but we played on the sand for a bit looking for sea shells (Hudson found a sea star which was the highlight of the trip). We also walked on the pier where we saw a fisherman catch two baby sharks. That was pretty cool. We headed home after that and the kids napped most of the way home.

We can't wait to get back to this area again, but I think it will be more enjoyable in the spring/summer time when the weather is warmer for swimming. :)

Waterfront Park

 Walking through the city

 Rainbow Row

 Hudson took the picture of us below.

Battery Park

(Hudson loved pretending to launch the canyons. He kept saying, "aim....FIRE!!") 

Folly Beach

(about 20 minutes from Charleston)